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France has a rich racing heritage that stretches back to the pioneering events of the early 20th century. Today it is represented at the highest levels of global motorsport, including a strong contingent of drivers in GT World Challenge powered by AWS. As such, fans attending the season-opening six-hour race at Circuit Paul Ricard on 12/13 April will have plenty of home heroes to cheer for.
They include Franck Perera, who grew up just a few hours along the coast in Montpellier. Today he is one of Lamborghini's leading factory drivers, a role he's held since 2018. Perera smashed the GT qualifying lap record at last year's CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa and has another great shot at success this year with the VSR squad.
From an established Lamborghini ace we move to the newest recruits at McLaren. Simon Gachet and Arthur Rougier will be very familiar to GT World Challenge fans: Gachet has raced in the series since 2017, earning overall wins and a Silver Cup title, while Rougier also made his name in the Silver class and subsequently joined the Lamborghini junior programme. This year they’ll share a car for French squad CSA Racing.
Saintéloc Racing is the most established French team on the grid having joined the series in 2012. Its 2025 line-up includes Paul Evrard, who won the Gold Cup title with the squad last year and now switches to the Bronze Cup class. Le Mans native Maxime Robin has competed in GT World Challenge since 2022 and this year joins French squad CSA Racing, while his former teammate, Romain Leroux, remains with Walkenhorst Motorsport for a second successive campaign.
The only all-French line-up on the grid is the #10 Boutsen VDS Mercedes-AMG, which will be shared by Aurélien Panis, Cesar Gazeau and Loris Cabirou in the Silver Cup class. Panis is the son of 1996 Monaco Grand Prix winner Olivier and has carved out a successful career of his own, while 21-year-old Gazeau is also developing into a fine GT racer. Cabirou started out in the FFSA French GT Championship and is now a familiar name in GT World Challenge.
Thomas Drouet is another FFSA GT graduate working to establish himself among Europe’s elite. He made his series debut in 2020 and has become a Mercedes-AMG expert with Akkodis ASP and Boutsen VDS. In 2025 he takes on a new challenge, joining HRT Ford Performance to drive the ferocious Mustang GT3.
While each of the names mentioned so far has previous GT World Challenge experience, a number of French drivers will make their series debuts at Circuit Paul Ricard. Etienne Cheli steps up after impressing in GT4 racing, notably clinching the FFSA GT title in 2023. This year he'll race in the Silver Cup for the ultra-successful Team WRT, so he has a real chance to establish his reputation.
Two more French drivers will make their series debuts in the Silver class. Romain Andriolo is just 18 and recently switched to GT racing after competing in F4 France and Formula Regional Europe. Edgar Maloigne steps up to GT World Challenge after two years competing in Lamborghini Super Trofeo and has also gained experience in FFSA GT, a key proving ground for young talent.
There is another French rookie on the grid. Benjamin Ricci may race under a Swiss flag, but the son of former series regular Mauro Ricci hails from Lyon. Benjamin is already familiar in the paddock from his time in the GT4 European Series powered by RAFA Racing Club and GT2 European Series powered by Pirelli.
This brings us to a handful of other names who, while not competing with a French licence, will still be home favourites at Circuit Paul Ricard. Jules Gounon has raced under the Andorran flag since 2023, but the Mercedes-AMG ace was born and raised in France and is hugely popular with the country's GT racing fans. He's an expert at Paul Ricard, too, winning the six-hour race in 2019 and 2023.
If Gounon is to seal a third victory on home soil, one of his main rivals will be Vincent Abril. The AF Corse Francorchamps Motors driver was born in Alès, though he competes under the Monegasque flag. A winner at Paul Ricard back in 2017, he should be a major factor aboard the #51 Ferrari.
The sister #50 AF Corse entry will include Monaco-born Arthur Leclerc. Though not strictly a home event, Circuit Paul Ricard is certainly a local track for the young Ferrari ace. Another Monaco native making the short journey to the Var is Louis Prette, who has shown well for McLaren squad Garage 59 and should be among the contenders for victory in an expanded Gold Cup class.
With drivers in all four classes, there is every chance of a French victory at Circuit Paul Ricard. Fans attending the event can also look forward to an extensive line-up of support races and plenty of off-track entertainment throughout the weekend. Tickets start from just 18€, while kids under 16 can attend free of charge and supplementary Grid Walk passes are also available to purchase. For more information, please click here.